A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the primary way to refer to or address resources on the Internet. Examples of such resources include HyperText Markup Language (HTML) documents, image files, video files, and other resources. In general, a URL is a string of characters conforming to a standardized format that refers to resources on the Internet by their location. For example, a URL may include the resource's name (e.g., file name) preceded by a hierarchy of directory names in which the resources are stored.
Currently, to reference a location in a document (e.g., HTML document), the URL provides an anchor identifier that points to a specific location within the document. The anchor identifier follows the server and pathname of the URL and is separated by the crosshatch “#” character. A corresponding anchor is inserted into the specific location in the document. When a Web browser reads a URL with an anchor identifier, the anchor identifier indicates to the client Web browser that it should begin displaying or scrolling the document from the specified location of the anchor.
A limitation associated with the anchor is that the anchor could only point to a specific location in the document. The anchor cannot reference a particular region or portion of the document. Thus, a URL cannot be used to reference a region in the document. Such anchor limitation limits the functionalities of application programs that may need more level of detail when using URLs to point to a document. For example, a user may want to bring attention to a specific region within a Web page and communicate this specific region to other users. One method to bring attention to this specific region is to highlight the specific portion. However, the only way currently to highlight this specific region is to modify the source code of the Web page, and typically, a user cannot modify the source code.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for continuing efforts to improve the reference capabilities of a URL.